When I came down from a week in the Cordillera Blanca to learn that Michael had died while soloing in the high Sierra Nevada, my reaction was one of sadness tinged with the stoic quiver of knowing that a friend died doing the things he loved the most. In the brief time I got to know him, I discovered that Michael and I shared an ever-waning appreciation for the romantic intricacies of the human spirit upon which climbing has the ability to shed light; A deep respect for metaphor, the awareness of self which inevitably flowers from the absurd and often dangerous situations we put ourselves in, and the power of that awareness to let us sympathize with our fellow adventurers and those who have risked and thrived in so many other arenas. More »

The one thing that was noticeably absent in 2011 was time spent on El Capitan. This, however, was all about to change. Stein was visiting the SF bay for business and Yosemite was on the menu. The days preceding the weekend were filled with rain so free-climbing was out. We tossed around a multitude of ideas including the Nose, trying to figure out what might be “dry”. It was the first time we had considered climbing route so I didn’t think too much of it. More »

The Two Person Continuous Loop System, aka The Infinite Loop Method More »

Why do you climb?  Does it light the fire in your belly?  Does it make your heart beat faster?  Do you seek adventure, or stay in your comfort zone?  For me, I know that the bigger and harder the better, and I’d rather be on the rock with an amazing friend, than anywhere else on earth… More »

After a crazy and hectic 1st semester of business school in LA, I felt an overwhelming desire to get myself involved in something non-urban and anti-corporate.  Over eight days spanning New Years 2011, I met up in Yosemite with two up-and-coming young climbers from Boulder, Cheyne Lempe and Colin Simon. More »

When did I know I had bitten off more than I could chew?  I think it occurred to me about 10 feet into my 25 foot fall…WOOOOOOOOOOO! More »

A couple of weeks ago Luke and I drove into Yosemite with the intention to check out Free Rider — kick its tires, try and get its general idea. Things went better than expected and we ended up climbing up 1/2 of El Cap free in a day. So we figured, “Eh, doing the whole thing can’t be that hard.” When I said that to my friend Traian, he laughed and answered “Yeah right, you guys climbed ‘Easy Rider’. Wait till you get higher.” He was spot on. More »